Braised Chicken With Chestnut

Chestnuts is one of my favourites, delicious in braised dishes and really good when roasted, eaten as a snack. Here it is used in a braised chicken dish. I have used a claypot to cook this dish. For this dish I have used ready-to-eat vacuum packed chestnuts. You may however use raw chestnuts, refer to the instructions at the bottom of the recipe on how to prepare the raw chestnuts for cooking. 

A homey dish that is perfect with a bowl of rice. Chunks of boneless chicken thigh browned in oil and then braised in a claypot with the chestnuts. Can be cooked in advance and reheat just before serving. 

This dish is great with a green stir-fry, of which I have made Stir-Fried Romaine Lettuce, recipe which can be found in the same book. This veggie stir-fry is very similar to how we cook our stir-fry veggies. I have however, added some chopped garlic, just because we have always used chopped garlic for stir-fry veggies.  

These two dishes with a bowl of soup makes such a lovely meal with a bowl of hot fluffy white rice.

Braised Chicken with Chestnuts
(Every Grain Of Rice, Fuchsia Dunlop)
4 boneless chicken thighs (about 350gm)
20gm ginger, unpeeled
2 spring onions, white and green parts separated
3 tbsp cooking oil
1-1/2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
300ml chicken stock or water
1 tbsp brown or caster sugar
1-1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
200gm cooked, peeled chestnuts (canned or vacuum-packed)
salt

Cut the chicken evenly into bite-sized chunks. Crush the ginger and spring onion whites slightly with the side of a cleaver blade or a rolling pin. Cut the spring onion greens into neat 4cm lengths.

Heat the oil in a seasoned wok over a high flame. When it is hot, add the ginger and spring onion whites and stir-fry until you can smell their fragrance. Then add the chicken pieces and fry over high heat until they are lightly browned: don't move them around too much, but let the, rest against the base of the wok so they have the chance to take on a little colour. Drain off some of the excess fat at this stage if you wish. Splash in the Shaoxing wine and stir well. Then tip in all the stock.

Bring the stock to a boil and add the sugar, sou sauce and chestnuts, with salt to taste (3/4 tsp should do). Then reduce the ehat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes to allow the chicken to cook through and the chestnuts to absorb some of the flavours of the sauce, stirring from time to time.

Increase the heat to reduce the liquid if you wish and adjust the seasoning if necessary. At the last minute, add the spring onion greens, cover for just a moment to let them feel the heat, then serve.

To cook and peel your own chestnuts :

Slice off the bases of the raw chestnuts and blanch them in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then drain. When cool enough to handle, remove their shells and inner skins as far as possible.

Stir-Fried Cos Lettuce
(Every Grain Of Rice, Fuchsia Dunlop)
1 heart of romaine or cos lettuce (about 250gm)
3 tbsp cooking oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (my addition)
salt

Cut the lettuce heart across its width at 2.5cm intervals. Wash the cut leaves, then shake dry or (even better) spin in a salad spinner.
Pour the oil into a hot, seasoned wok over a high flame and swirl it around. (Saute the chopped garlic until aromatic and light brown, if using). Add the lettuce and stir-fry until hot and fragrant, but still very crisp, seasoning with salt to taste towards the end. Serve